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How to write Achievements on a CV

A list of achievements on your CV is an excellent way of making your CV stand out from the rest of the CVs. You, as an employee, will only be valuable to the employer and the company for the activities and actions that you achieve.

Many job seekers fall into the trap of listing down all their job duties and responsibilities while forgetting to mention what they have actually achieved!

It is your achievements that matter the most as opposed to responsibilities, and here is why: anybody can be assigned responsibilities – even the good ol’ delivery boy from around the corner – but how many individuals can actually say that they have accomplished significant achievements in their lives or careers?

Not many. So you should!

How an achievements section on your CV looks like

The following is a sample of how an achievements section looks like:

Examples of achievements to put on your CV

It is amazing how many times we have heard people say…

‘But I haven’t really achieved anything….’

Of course you have, you just don’t realise it (yet)!

Achievements do not have to be necessarily significant to be important enough to include on your CV. ANY achievement that portrays you in a positive light is worthy of being included on your CV.

Achievements can be many, many, many things; here are just some ideas to help you:

Awards won

Promotions

Trained/Educated others

Completed important projects on time and within budget

Increased sales figures (by such-and-such %)

Saved time by coming up with efficient methods and tools

Qualifications gained

Good results in examinations and tests

Elected to do or lead something/someone (committees, charities, etc)

Leader/captain/manager in some club or organisation

Long term without absence from work

Anticipated in organisation of fun fairs, open days, etc.

If you are still an individual who thinks that you haven’t achieved anything, then please contact us and let us know, so that we can help you in another way (if possible).

For the remainder 99% of our readers: please continue reading about the importance of achievements and what they tell prospective employers about you!

What do your achievements tell about you?

There is a well-known saying; that “if you want to predict someone’s future, look at his past.”

An employer will look at your achievements on your CV and say to themselves: “Look, here is an individual who has achieved such-and-such goals for their previous employer; I bet they are more than capable to do the same for us!”

The importance of including achievements in your CV

What happens if you do not include your achievements on your CV? Or just simply list all your duties? Well, do you want the good news or the bad news first?

The good news is that the world is not going to come to an end because of it (probably)…

The bad news is that you are seriously undermining your chances of getting an interview!

According to an interesting research conducted by the authors of “ Brilliant CV: What employers want to see & how to say it”, the applicants with achievement-focused CVs are THREE TIMES more likely to be shortlisted for an interview compared to applicants with duties -focused CVs!

Be relevant and prioritise your achievements!

It doesn’t really take a career expert to know that stating; “ I have won a dance award at my local Ballet club ”, on your CV is not a very good idea when applying for a position as a Bodyguard to a member of the Royal Family.

Whenever you decide to include a certain achievement in your CV, ask yourself:

Is this achievement relevant to the job I am applying for?

What does this achievement say about me? Is it something positive?

Have I got any other achievement which is more deserving of being mentioned instead of this?

If some your achievements are irrelevant to the job you’re applying for you should simply omit them. Do not fill up valuable space from your CV with unrelated or unimportant information.

The position of your achievements section on your CV

Your achievements section should be just before the education section and just after the career objective/summary. The following is the ideal location of the achievements section on a typical CV with a standard layout: